finicky

finicky

English

Etymology

From finicking, from finical, from fine. Compare dated finikin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfɪnɪki/

Adjective

finicky (comparative finickier or more finicky, superlative finickiest or most finicky)

1. (informal, of a person) Fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting, especially about details.

   Synonyms: fastidious, fussy; see also Thesaurus:fastidious

   The baby was finicky until her diaper was changed.

2. (informal) Demanding, requiring above-normal care.

   The lawnmower is a bit finicky in cold weather.

Usage notes

• The forms finickier and finickiest also exist, but are quite rare, and perhaps nonstandard. The forms more finicky and most finicky are much more common, and certainly standard.

Derived terms

• finickiness
• finickity

Translations

fastidious and fussy; difficult to please; exacting

Catalan: primmirat (ca) German: , kleinlich (de), anspruchsvoll (de), wählerisch (de), pedantisch (de), etepetete (de), zimperlich (de), affektiert (de), pingelig (de), krütsch (de) (regional) Hungarian: szőrszálhasogató (hu)

Russian: привере́дливый (ru) (priverédlivyj) Spanish: fastidioso, melindroso (es),remilgado (es), puntilloso (es) m, quisquilloso (es) m, tiquismiquis (es), pejiguero (es), esquilimoso m, pedante (es)

demanding, requiring above-normal care

German: , anspruchsvoll (de), heikel (de), pflegebedürftig (de)

Russian: капризный (ru) m (kapriznyj) (informal)

Further reading

• “finicky” (US) / “finicky” (UK) in Oxford Dictionaries, Oxford University Press.